Good afternoon, TeamUHN!
It is a pleasure to connect with you across care, research, and education through this weekly CEO update – all in service of A Healthier World.
Key reminders and updates
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We begin by acknowledging that yesterday was Father's Day and recognizing the dads, stepdads, grandfathers, and paternal figures working in care, research, and education across UHN. Fathers play a crucial role in supporting and nurturing children to reach their full potential. We proudly celebrate the many dedicated dads across TeamUHN who strive each day to inspire their children, a task that undoubtedly contributes to A Healthier World.
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A new Emergency protocol – Code Shock – goes live today at both Toronto Western (TWH) and Toronto General (TGH) hospitals. This protocol will support the clinical team in identifying patients presenting to the EDs requiring rapid resuscitation and specific interventions related to trauma and undifferentiated shock, ensuring the necessary resources are available to provide optimal care through coordination and clear decision-making, improving the timeliness of emergency interventions, quality of care and patient safety. It brings together an immediate in-person response team made up of professionals from emergency, anesthesia, critical care, respiratory therapy and general surgery, as well as additional support as required from JDMI, Blood Bank and bed flow. It will standardize and streamline the care of patients. Code Shock will not replace rapid transfer for trauma patients to a Level 1 Trauma Centre, which is strongly equipped to provide care for patients suffering from
major traumatic injuries. Learn more on UHN News. I thank all the teams that came together in developing Code Shock.
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On Friday, UHN was proud to host a delegation of 14 health care professionals from Singapore General Hospital's Office of Patient Safety and Quality. The group was given a fulsome overview of UHN's approach to quality and safety, with discussions on safety event reporting, the importance of patient engagement, artificial intelligence and patient safety, and more. The delegation toured Toronto General Hospital, including surgical and transplant areas, with a focus on quality and safety. As I have said before, sharing knowledge and best practices with colleagues from around the world and being open to their ideas is critical for our mission of A Healthier World. My sincere thanks to Quality, Safety, and Clinical Adoption at UHN for organizing this visit, and the many TeamUHN members who helped facilitate such a great day.
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Congratulations to Paul Farrell, the new Chair of UHN Foundation (UHNF)'s Board of Directors. Mr. Farrell, who is Vice Chair, Global Investment Banking at CIBC Capital Markets, assumed the role last week. He has served on the UHN Foundation Board since 2007. We thank him and all those who stepped forward to serve on the Board, including nine
new members. We also salute UHN Foundation's outgoing Board Members, along with Raj Kothari, who served as Chair of the Foundation's Board of Directors since September 2018. During his tenure, more than $540 million was granted to UHN. The entire organization deeply appreciates the accomplished, community-minded volunteers who serve on the Board of Directors for our Foundations and UHN's Board of Trustees, ensuring the highest standards in governance, stewardship, and accountability.
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More than 2,400 participants raised a record $1.63 million Sunday at the 11th annual Journey to Conquer Cancer. In this family and dog-friendly event, presented by Starlight Investments, participants run or walk one kilometre, three kilometres, or five kilometres to raise funds for life-saving cancer research and clinical care at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. The opening ceremony at the University of Toronto campus fields was led by Brandon Throop, a high-grade B-Cell Lymphoma survivor who raised more than $120,000 for The Princess Margaret. The Journey to Conquer Cancer has raised more than $16 million over 11 years. As Dr. Miyo Yamashita, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation (PMCF), said: "The funds raised by Journey participants will enable researchers at The Princess Margaret to generate more breakthrough discoveries that will revolutionize cancer treatment and care for patients in Canada and around the world." Learn more at
journey2conquer.ca.
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We're delighted to share this quarter's list of honourees through UHN Foundation's Honour Your Hero program. From February to April 2024, 100 staff members were honoured by grateful patients. View the report here. Honour Your Hero provides patients and their families the opportunity to express gratitude to hospital staff for exemplifying UHN's value of excellence in patient care with compassion and kindness, by donating in support of UHN. Join us in recognizing the accomplishments of our TeamUHN colleagues. Your care inspires patients to give. To learn more, visit uhnfoundation.ca/heroes.
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If you missed last week's Open Forum, please be sure to
watch the recording. In addition to important updates on Project Aspire, UHN's construction of a new patient and surgical tower at Toronto Western Hospital, the UHN Reactivation Care Centre, and changes to modernize communications in the organization, members of the Executive Leadership Forum answered questions from TeamUHN. For a detailed recap, with timestamps and a look ahead to future events,
visit TeamUHN Central.
Video of the Week
And now… our
video of the week. In this a TeamUHN Registered Kinesiologist busts some myths about the field of Kinesiology.
Feedback?
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leave anonymous feedback here.
Have a good week,
Kevin
